


Stay

by scrabbledragon



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Altmer - Freeform, Dragonborn - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Markarth, Orc, Romance, Skyrim - Freeform, Well it started out as fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-06-08 05:40:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 16,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6841249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scrabbledragon/pseuds/scrabbledragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She spun around on her heels and left in a hurry to go somewhere. Unusual for her. But what I couldn't understand was why I wanted her to stay.<br/>*A series of one-shots about Moth gro-Bagol, the Orsimer blacksmith from Markarth and the Altmer dragonborn Nelcara.*<br/>(Working on moving this from another site. Go to ff.net if you wish to read it all at once before I can get it all reposted here.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Annoyance

It was late afternoon, close to dusk, time to start cleaning up the forge. But I couldn't. Not yet. The blade on the war axe I had been working on wasn't sharp enough yet. So, I continued to push it against the grind stone. Work was good though. Let me think. Unlike getting a drink at the Sliver-Blood Inn. But I needed to go there too. Maybe Kleppr knew someone who could get a hold of a daedra heart. Bothela didn't but at least Kleppr saw more visitors to Markarth. Maybe one of them had one.

Granted, I don't know why the Jarl would want to cool his blade in that anyway. But, it wasn't my place to question, just complete my orders. I pulled the axe back up to test the edge and that was when I heard the footsteps. It was a High Elf. Not a Thalmor though, which was strange for around here.

I stood to place the axe down and noticed she stood a few inches taller than me. She pushed back her black hair as she approached me. She wore a brown mages robe and blue circlet that stood out against her tan, golden skin.

"I believe I'm lost" she said as her light green eyes darted about the room in confusion. She was a tall girl, but not very muscular, a green fighter if you asked me. But she did look fit. She could hold her own against some wolves, maybe a few bandits, but that was about it.

"Unless you're looking for Moth gro-Bagol, the Jarl's smith. Then you are lost."

Oddly enough, she smiled at that.

"Well surely you can help me then! If you're the Jarl's smith you must know where I can find him." She seemed excited about that conclusion.

"He should be in his throne room, about three doors to the right, once you leave here." I answered as I pulled the axe back down onto the grind stone. But the woman didn't leave. She actually sat down.

"Can I ask you about the Silver-Bloods? They seem to run everything here."

"You must be new." I said with a growing aggravation. Was this woman trying to stay and hold a conversation? Can't she see I have work to do? "I served with Thongvor Silver-Blood in the Legion. He's a good man and strong. That's all I care about. If you want a conversation go to the inn I'm sure Cosnach is drunk enough to talk all evening, or Vorstag for that matter." That seemed to quiet her for a moment, but only just.

"So, what do you make?" she asked.

"Strong weapons and armor. Ebony, steel. Whatever you got."

"Do you think you could repair this?" She asked has she handed me a broken steel axe. It was old and in bad shape.

"What's a mage doin' with an axe?" I doubt she could even use it.

"I've trained some with smaller weapons for when I run out of magicka. Hate to make it through a ruin only to be slaughtered by a bandit when I left" she laughed. And I couldn't help but smile a little.

"So...can you fix it Moth?" She looked at me expectantly and I just shook my head. In truth I could repair it but it wouldn't last her long anyways.

"Be cheaper just to buy a new one."

She let out a long sigh. "Not enough coin for that. But thanks anyways."

As she got up to leave, I felt kind of bad. No one needed to go with out some kind of blade.

"Tell ya what, bring me a daedra heart and I'll give you a knew one, better than that old piece of garbage."

"Really?" she acted surpised. "I think I could manage that. Thanks. I'll see you."

I turned back to the grindstone again only to hear the sound of a crash a few seconds later. I looked towards the door to see the woman lying on the floor with a mess of fallen buckets, baskets, and a broom beside her. I sighed as I got up to help here. This woman planned on getting a daedra heart.

"You really think you can get a daedra heart if you can't make it out of a room?" I helped her up off the floor as she brushed herself off.

Her faced turned red as she looked down to avoid me. "S-sorry." She bent down to pick up everything she knocked over but I waved her off. As she left I just prayed she was a decent mage. Hopefully she wasn't fool enough to get herself killed.


	2. Deadra Hearts and Markarth Hate

It had been a few days since the High Elf came in. Nelcara was what the guards said her name was. I still couldn't believe she was actually dragonborn. Gods, help us if that clumsy thing was suppose to take down dragons.

I moved the blade I was currently working on from the water to the anvil and took the hammer to it. I had an order for guards' swords due by the end of the week.

BAM. Startled by the sudden noise I jerked and lost focus on the hammer, chipping the blade.

"Damn it" I muttered to myself as I tossed the blade aside. Looking towards the door that had been thrusted open I wasn't surprised to see Nelcara. She cringed as she saw the blade now lying on the floor.

"Sorry" She apologized as she walked in. She got midway into the room before she stopped to rummage through her satchel. "Guess what I got you!" She exclaimed as she pulled out a daedra heart.

For a moment I just stared. How had she managed to get a hold of one of those so soon?

"What?" she said interrupting my thoughts. "Did you dare doubt the abilities of the arch-mage?" she smirked.

Arch-mage? I suppose I had underestimated her. As she handed it to me I couldn't help but ask, "How?"

"Oh, I just took it off a hagraven I hunted down." she shrugged as if it was no big deal.

I looked up to thank her and noticed the claw marks across her cheek and chin. But they were no fresh marks. An old scar that couldn't have been from the hagraven. She must have noticed my gaze because her hand suddenly went towards the marks.

"That's old. The hagraven never got close enough. But that wolf did. It caught me by surprise one evening. Never saw it coming until it jumped in my face" she laughed. And I couldn't help but laugh with her.

"Well, as promised here's your new ax." As I handed her the weapon she tried to pull out some coin. "Let me pay you something for it" she argued. But I grabbed her hand away from the coin purse.

"You more than paid for this. Just take it."

She looked at me, with those big green eyes, and smiled as she squeezed my hand. "Thank you" she said as she took it. "Well, I've gotta go see the Jarl. I took care of the Forsworn camp he wanted."

"Really?" I said as I sat down to get back to work. I should have know better than to ask. She pulled up a chair next to me and began to tell me the story. Apparently, she had taken Vorstag with her. It was a large camp and they had to cover a lot of ground.

"...and then I blocked them off with a wall of fire as Vorstag went along back..."

As she talked, I continued to work, and noticed that time went by much quicker with her there. As she finished her story she got up, axe in hand. "Thanks again. I'll see you next time." she smiled as she left...it was nice.

~~

True to her word she did come back to see me. Everytime she was in Markarth in fact. She would come up to the Keep to talk before she'd go down to the Inn. She would visit every couple of weeks due to business with the Jarl. He even made her Thane.

But today, she did not seem to happy about that.

"I hate this city" she exclaimed as she fell into her usual chair.

"Then why do you bother living here?" I asked. I had grown practiced on being able to concentrate on my work as we talked. So, I didn't even look towards her when I asked.

"It was either here or Riften. One's as bad as the other." she scoffed. "You know when I first walked into this city there was a lady getting stabbed. I tried to investigate and got threatened. And they threw me in prison just a few weeks ago!"

"I heard. You made it back out it seems. And pardoned."

"Yeah. I had to shank a bitch. Wasn't too fun." she crossed her arms in frustration. I had to try my best to hold back a chuckle.

"And still, you're here. Why?" I asked, suddenly curious. It was true. This city had given her no reason to love it. Truth be told if I was here I would have left long ago.

"I have my reasons" she said casually. A moment later there was a knock on the door as a courier entered.

"Message for you, Nelcara" he said handing her the note. "Thanks, Alyan." She took the note and began to read over it.

"Do you know all the couriers by name?" I joked.

She laughed. "It feels like it" she said as she stood.

I stopped my work as I turned towards her. Was she leaving already? That was strange. She had only been here ten minutes at the most.

"Well..." she hesitated. "I guess I have to go. I know you must be so disappointed" she chuckled. "Urgent business in Solitude. It would seem the dragonborn never gets a break. I need to go get ready. You lucked out this time." I started to tell her to stay a few more minutes. What would a few minutes hurt? But no. With battles and dragons every minute counted. So, I wished her safe travels instead.

"May you conquer your enemies"

"And may you vanquish your foes" she started to turn but quickly stopped herself. "Oh, and if you see my housecarl send him home. I'm going to need Argis' help but as usual he's no where to be seen. Freaking useless." And with that she spun on her heels and hurried out. However, now my only foes consisted of the forge and weapons in front of me. As I worked during the rest of the day, I continued to look at the door half expecting her to walk back through before she left. But I shook the idea from my head. What I couldn't shake though was the question of why I wanted her to stay in the first place. She interrupted my work every time she came in. But over the past few months it had begun to bother me less and less. She was nice company. Her stories were definitely entertaining but it was more than that. She made me feel... happier, but that wasn't quite it either.

Whatever she's doing is strange and I'm not sure I dislike it.


	3. Nord of Skyrim

I heard the footsteps, light on the stone floor, and immediately recognized them as Nelcara's. But as I turned around I glimpsed the unmistakable armor of the Forsworn. Without thinking I quickly drew my sword and charged forward. It wasn't until the woman lept out of the way and threw her head back laughing that I realized my mistake. Of course it was Nelcara ...Who else would it have been?

"What were you thinking?" I asked frustrated. How could she be that irresponsible?

"That it'd be funny. And it was" she smirked and reached over taking her hands to the side of my face and pulling me forward to look at her. "You need to lighten up" she teased as she mussed up my beard and quickly pushed me back. But I was still concerned on how she managed to make it through the city without a blade through her chest.

"So, you just walked through Markarth in Forsworn armor? And where did you get it?"

"I was attacked by a small band and I always wanted to know if this stuff was comfortable. So. I took it. And it actually is...comfortable I mean" She spun around to showing how easily she could move.

"It's not very restrictive and I think it looks quite well on me"

It was then that I actually took full notice of her, looking down to see the full uniform. It did fit well. The fur covered her shoulders and her breast...barely. The pants, if you could call them that, hung just below her curved hips and cut up each side, baring both her legs. It was completely impractical armor...but she did look nice. Noticing I was staring I quickly turned back towards my work.

"And only an idiot would walk through the city in this. I changed in front of your door."

And as quickly as I had returned to my work I stopped, taken aback. I couldn't have heard her correctly. I wished I had seen that. What? No. I shook the thought from my head. What was wrong with me? But my thoughts were interrupted by Nelcara's laugh. Turning to see what was so funny, I saw a smug smirk forming on her face.

"Never, thought I'd make an orc blush"

I sent her a hard look, letting her know I was not pleased with that comment. She attempted to keep a straight face but her amusement was too apparent. She then took it upon herself to sit on the edge of the table, hitting her head on the hanging lights in the process.

"Darn, short nords" she complained as she rubbed the back of her head.

"I heard about the Thalmor." I said changing the topic. Recently, I found out about her going into a Thalmor encampment to rescue a prisoner. A strange thing to do for someone who said they sided with the empire.

"Ugh, who hasn't? I think the guards in every hold must write letters back and forth about everyone."

"Most have been difficult to take down your own." A few moments passed and she didn't answer. She was still sitting on the table, high above me, so I had to look up to see her. When I caught a look of her face her smile had disappeared and her eyebrow was raised. Her eyes stared right back at me, cold. Had I offended her?

"I'm not a Thalmor or were you referring to altmers?" she spat.

Stunned, I couldn't immediately think of a reply.

"Are you friends with every orc? Would you hesitate to take one down if they were torturing someone?" she was fuming.

Why was she so angry? "I view all orsimers as my brothers. I would do what needed to be done but it would be hard. I just thought for someone who grew up in the Summerset Isles, it would be hard for you to kill your own people."

She let out a long sigh at that. Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she appeared to be trying to sooth herself.

"I didn't" she stopped herself, taking in a deep breath before continuing. "I didn't grow up there. I've never seen it. I've lived in Skyrim all my life. My parents, nords, found me abandoned in the woods and took me in." "I was probably the bastard of some Thalmor who decided to drop me there. I don't know" she explained, suddenly very calm. "I don't resent or hate them. But they're not my people. Everyone always assumes that. Why does everything have to be about 'your' people? Why not just people. If anything I'm a nord of Skyrim. Take that for what you will." She let out a nervous laugh, "Ever heard of a High Elf worshipping Talos" she muttered.

I didn't know what to say to that...any of that. But I understood. I fought with the Legion for years. But I was a soldier voluntarily. I knew what I was signing up for. But Nelcara...she was thrown into the middle of everything. Being able to absorb dragon souls made everyone want you to fight for them.

"I get it. I shouldn't have said that." But she didn't look at me. So I stood up, in front of her so that we were face to face. "Nelcara. I'm sorry"

She gave me a weak smile before patting me on the shoulder. "It's fine. Sorry I snapped. That was...uncalled for." After a moment she slid herself off the table. Now standing she turned from me. "I-I need to go. It's been...a long day." She headed for the door but stopped short. She looked towards the floor as she confessed softly, just loud enough for me to hear, "It's always hard, no matter who it is." And then she was gone. For the first time she didn't want to stay.


	4. An Awkward Dinner

I grunted as I managed to knock over yet another piece of equipment. My forge room had recently become over crowd with supplies and broken weapons. The store room was full with Gods know what, so for some reason the overflow ended up here. And it was increasingly obvious that accomplishing any work in this condition was not going to happen. I tried my best to push material to the side and in piles. But this only succeeded in causing more problems then it solved. Weapons were falling over, ingots were all over the floor. I wanted this gone, now.

"Woah, someone needs to get a jump start on their spring cleaning."

"Still here?" I was surprised to see Nelcara was still in the city. She got here last week, and usually she only stayed a few days before she left again.

"I leave the day after next. I wanted to take care of some things." she explained. "Speaking of which, how do you plan on taking care of...all this? She gestured to the mess around us.

I let out an aggravated grunt. "I don't know. I shouldn't have to take care of it in the first place." It was then a pile of leather toppled over onto my feet. "Urgh". Furthered angered, I kicked the pile across the room.

Nelcara sided step the piles and clutter, and managed to actually make it into the room without falling. She stood next to me rubbing my neck. I might have enjoyed it more if I wasn't already so irritated. "Alright, take it easy. You can store this mess at my place."

"Really? Would it even fit?" At this point I didn't even care. I'd chunk it in the road.

"Yeah, we can just shove it in the extra bedroom. And I'll give you a key so you can get back in.".

That might actually work. Her house wasn't too far from here. It was going to take all day to move everything but that would be a small price to pay for my sanity.

"Okay." I said as I began picking up piles off the floor. Nelcara bent down picking up a few ingots as she sighed "The day I decide to wear a dress". She was usually in mages' robes with pants, but not today I suddenly noticed. She wore a long red dress. With any luck, she wouldn't trip going up the stairs.

It was after dark before we got everything moved and put away. As I closed the door to the room Nelcara sunk to the floor, and braced herself against the wall. "Well, that was a work out".

I was tired myself and beginning to get very hungry as my stomach was now letting me know.

Nelcara laughed. "Sounds like your stomach's trying to eat itself. Hope you like soup. It's all I know how to make." She got up from the floor and walked to the next room, leaving me there wondering what was going on. Did she just invite me to dinner? Well, more like telling me I was eating dinner. It was just easier to submit. She'd just argue me into staying anyway. Or worse, give me that pleading look with her eyes. That, I was defenseless against. It always gave me a weird knot feeling inside.

Unsure of what to do, I followed her into the next room. I stood in the middle, taking notice of everything. I hadn't been too keen on observing décor on the way up here. "Need help?" I called out as I looked around the room.

"Nah, I got it." she said as she threw a concoction of items into a cooking pot.

She had a large collection of things on the selves and counters around the house. Sitting on one counter was a mask with intricate carvings. As, I walked over to get a closer look I recognized it as a dragon priest mask. As I picked it up I remembered her telling me about it. She had gone to some old ruin for the College after they had unearthed some ancient magic. I put the mask back down next to several more like it and a pile of jeweled dragon claws. How many caves and ruins had she been in? She told me stories about having to go to some of these places but I didn't think it had been that many. No wonder she was rarely home. I continued, finding four large bookshelves that were almost full.

"You know, all those years in the Legion must have made you a good fighter. You should travel with me some time." she said from the pot.

"Can't." I said, looking at the shelves. "Too much work here"

"Amazing, the things you find in caves and ruins" she said walking up beside me. "The soups done. But feel free to continue staring if you like" she teased.

I turned to follow her to the table when my foot knocked against something. Looking down, I saw I had managed to kick over a bag and spill out its contents. Nelcara must have heard because she quickly turned around.

"Ugh...don't worry about that" she walked back over pushing things back in. "My travel bag" she explained. "I have a bad habit of leaving it in the middle of the floor."

I bent down to help, picking up scrolls and potions and handing them back, when suddenly I felt something slightly heavier in the pile. I glanced down to what was in my hands and had to look again. It was an amulet. I had to study it a moment longer before I was sure. But yes, it was definitely an amulet...an amulet of Mara.

Nelcara quickly took it from me and stuffed it in the bag.

It wasn't any of my business. If Nelcara had an interest in someone then good for her. I hoped they were deserving of her. But I couldn't help but ask, "Was that an amulet of Mara?"

"That was just—it wasn't—I" she stammered, looking away as she pushed the bag aside. She let out a sigh as her face turned red "Yes. Now come eat."

We sat at the table eating for a few moments in silence. And I don't now what compelled me to say, "Did you have someone in mind?" I instantly regretted that. I didn't want to know. So, why did I ask? Her only response was a sad look as she continued to eat. "You're strong and capable. You should have no trouble."

She looked back up a smile forming onto her face. "I don't think most men are worried about a strong woman." she chuckled. And then more seriously she said, "They usually want someone more comely...and pretty."

And before I could think about it I said, "Well, that shouldn't be a problem either." Should I have said that? She was pretty. Beautiful even, if my opinion mattered for anything. She had a smile that lit up her whole face. Her eyes were this big almond shape and the deepest shade of green. The way she moved was elegant and flowing, when she wasn't tripping or falling. If this man didn't admire her strength, then he didn't deserve her beauty.

She blushed as she let out a nervous laugh. "Thank you" she said as she managed to look me in the face again. The longer I looked at her, the more I wanted to reach over and kiss her. I started to move my hand across the table but stopped myself. She was obviously in love with someone else. That wouldn't be fair of me to...but she was looking at me with those eyes. Was it possible to smile with your eyes? But then, she wasn't looking at me anymore. She was looking past me, her eyes growing wide.

"Argis?" she said, with a confused look. "Where have you been?"

I turned around in my chair to see her housecarl standing in the middle of the hallway. "I've been here" he said before walking off into another room. I looked back to see Nelcara shaking her head. And then she looked at me, her eyebrows scrunched up.

"Moth, are you okay?" she said reaching for my arm. Was I okay? Had I left some type of expression on my face. I didn't know. But I shook my head as I pulled my arm back. I pushed back in my chair, standing myself up. "It's late. I've got work in the morning. Thanks for the help" And I headed straight for the door. I was short, perhaps too cold in the way I had said that. But I couldn't stay here much longer.

"Moth." she called out as she ran up behind me. I forced myself to stop. "You're gonna need this" she said, pressing the key into my hand. I nodded and went out the door. I knew she wouldn't be staying much longer.


	5. Drinks and Stairs

I walked down the stairs to the Silver-Blood Inn. It had been a long day. Weapons were still sitting around half finished. I couldn't concentrate on anything. A few more days of this and I'm sure the Jarl would fire me. I needed a drink.

As I pushed the door open I got a loud greeting from Cosnach, "Hey!" His speech was already slurred.

"Early to be drunk already, isn't?" It wasn't even dark yet. Nelcara swore he was a decent fighter. Maybe he was at one point but you wouldn't think so now. Of course, she also said he was better drunk.

"Shoot. I ain't drunk. I've only had two drinks."

I took a seat as far from him as possible and ordered a drink. I wasn't interested in his drunken ramblings tonight.

"Saw your woman today." I heard him say across the room. Was he talking to me? Well, I wasn't listening. I got my drink and tried to ignore him. I could hear him though, calling. After a few minutes he stopped. Thankful for the silence I took a swig of my drink. I looked up. I should have known better. He must have grown impatient himself because he was now sitting next to me.

"Ya hear me? I saw Nelcara runnin' around today before she left"

"Good for you" I spat. Could the man not tell I wasn't interested in talking?

"She was runnin' around the city with an amulet of Mara on her neck. I tried askin' her 'bout it but she took off. Said she had to get Argis and head out."

So she'd gone off with the amulet. I knew it was only a matter of time.

"Ask Vorstag, he'll tell ya. He saw her too." I looked to see Vorstag over in the corner cleaning his blade.

"Yeah, she left a few hours ago. Strange though. She had said she wasn't leaving until tomorrow."

"I'd like to meet the lucky sod. I'd marry her. I'd marry her twice! That woman's a fierce fighter. Bet she's the same in-" I gave Cosnach a hard look before he could finish his sentence. He was beginning to become intolerable. In fact, the whole place felt intolerable now. As I got up, Cosnach started running his mouth again.

"Ya know I traveled with her for awhile..." Cosnach began.

"So, you know as well as all of us if she could hear you she'd shoot a lighting bolt up your ass" I heard Vorstag say as I left.

Coming here hadn't been helpful. All I wanted now was sleep. I had to walk past Nelcara's house on the way to the keep. As I approached it I stopped and stared at the door, wondering how much longer she'd stay. How many more times was I going to see her before she moved off somewhere else? Did I even want to see her? That was a stupid question. I knew I wanted to see her but I didn't need to. That would just make things even more difficult. But it wasn't something I needed to dwell on right now. I needed to get home. So, I kept walking. Sleep would help. I'd feel better in the morning.

~

I glanced over at the door as she walked up to see if she was actually going to enter this time. She didn't. Nelcara had only been gone a week before she came back and she had yet to visit me. I had to hear from Argis, who had come to the keep a few days ago, to know she was back. This was the first I had seen of her. Well, I hadn't really seen her. For over an hour, she had walked up the steps and gotten right outside my door before she turned away and walked back. I could see all this from the grindstone I was sitting at. But I doubt she could see me past the door frame. She didn't walk all the way up to the door, just to the side. She looked troubled, but from here I couldn't tell what was wrong. I heard her walk away from the door and decided I'd had enough of this. Something was obviously upsetting her.

I walked to the door and leaned against the frame as I saw her make her way down the steps. "Nelcara" I called. The sudden noise startled her and caused her to lose her footing. Luckily, she caught herself. Stopping in the middle of the stairs, she turned to look at me and gave a small embarrassed smile. She was still wearing the amulet. Had the fool rejected her? Was that what was troubling her? "How'd it go?" I asked looking towards the amulet.

She looked down at it and back at me. There was an anxious expression on her face. "Can I come in?" she asked.

I moved over, allowing her to pass by. She wouldn't look at me as she entered. Before I had time to walk all the way back in the room she blurted out "Did you mean what you said the other night?" She had to be talking about the night before she left. She stared at the floor but then forced herself to look at me. She stood there expectantly, wringing her hands. Why did she want to know? To Oblivion with this whole damn mess. I was telling her. "I meant every word I said."

She bit her lip as she let out a deep breath, "So would...would you..." she stammered.

I moved in closer, placing my hands on hers to still them. She looked up surprised "...be interested in me?"

I could have laughed right then if I didn't think it would offend her. This is what was bothering her? This question worried her? I didn't even think before I said, "You're strong, clever, I'd be proud to face the challenges of life with you if you felt the same way."

Before I knew what was happening she had closed the space between us and taken her hands to pull my face towards hers. She pressed her lips to mine and I quickly returned the favor, wrapping my arms around her in the process. Her lips were so soft. How was that possible? She felt good in my arms. I held her close but it wasn't enough. I needed her closer.

And then she pulled away. "I'm yours then" she smiled. And I smiled back. I placed my hand on her cheek and moved it back through her hair. It was strange. I needed to touch her. To know she was there. "And I am yours."


	6. Forsworn Sex Armor

It was late afternoon as I returned home with a basket full of food. Nelcara had been gone for close to a month, talking to the Greybeards, killing a dragon and probably clearing caves for a Jarl whose guards were too worthless to do it. She had sent a letter a few days ago, saying when she was coming home. In that time, the house had become scarce on food, which was not going to work because the first thing Nelcara always did when she got home was eat and go to sleep. And I couldn't blame her for that.

I placed the basket on the kitchen floor, next to the fireplace, when I heard a noise. I stood, stopped in the kitchen, when I heard it again. Someone was going through a chest. I put my hand on the hilt of my blade as I called out, "Who's there?" It couldn't have been Argis. I had just seen him at the Keep. Whoever it was had no business here and they were about to find that out.

"Your wife" I heard her voice answer from the bedroom.

"Nelcara?" I thought she wasn't suppose to be home until tomorrow.

"Do you have another wife?" her laugh traveling down the hallway. It was good to hear that again. It had been far too quiet with her gone.

I went to greet her and found her sitting on the bed...in forsworn armor. I clinched my fist as blood surged from my head to go to another one.

"Love, were you planning on saying something?" she smirked as I noticed I was still standing there silent.

"You're home early."

"Is that a problem?" she joked as she got up to put her arms around my waist.

"Never" I answered. She hugged me, burying her face in my neck. Her voice was muffled but I heard her "Good. I missed you." I held her against me, returning the embrace. I had missed her as well. She hadn't let go yet, and neither had I. As we stood there, her head braced against my neck, I buried my face in her hair, catching her scent. She always smelled of lavender and burned wood. A strange combination, but it was nice on her.

"You still have the armor" I hadn't seen her in that in quite some time. Not that I minded, but was...pleasantly surprised.

"Of course" she said pulling away to look at me. "I wouldn't dare get rid of it. You like it too much"

"Well, tell me it was at least beneficial in your fights." She had better armor, better robes even. I'd hate to think she fought in a lesser piece simply because she thought I enjoyed it.

"Oh, I didn't put this on until I got home." she said, a devious smirk forming on her face. And that's where my self control faded away. I grabbed her around the waist, pulling her against me. She gasped in surprised. But that was cut off, when I pressed my lips to hers. She replied with biting my lip as we kissed. So, it was going to be that kind of night? Good. I placed my arms under her, lifting her upward as she wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck.

I placed her onto the bed, pushing her down in the process. She grabbed at the waist of my pants, pulling me closer, while running her fingers under my shirt. I was on top of her, taking her fur top off, exposing her chest. As I leaned down to kiss her she put a hand on my chest, stopping me.

Pulling my shirt off over my head she said, "I like this much better than the first time you attacked me while I was wearing this", a smug grin on her face.

~

Morning came and the last thing I wanted to do was get up. Nelcara was still asleep, curled up with her back to me. She looked so peaceful and rested with her hair falling all around her. I smiled to myself. That was my strong, beautiful wife, the woman who could take down dragons and make bandits run with fear.

I slowly inched myself away, doing my best to not wake her. But that was a failed attempt. As I sat up, she stirred, and reached out towards me. Finding I wasn't in the same stop she groaned, pulling the sheet tighter to her as she rolled over "Where are you going?" she asked half asleep without opening her eyes.

"Work. Need to get dressed" I answered still half asleep myself as I sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's morning already?" she asked, eyes still closed.

When I told her it was she groaned again in displeasure. She reached out, groping and fumbling the sheets until she found my arm. As she did that the sheet fell way to her hips. It had been the only thing covering her bare body. Now her breast and stomach were exposed. That was worth being up to see. But it was cold, so I lifted the blanket back. She was still holding on to my arm, as tight as she could while still mostly asleep, which wasn't very tight.

"Roll your naked ass back over and stay with me" she tried to say in a commanding voice. As if to soften the command, she finally opened her eyes and gave a tired smile, "Please."

She gave me that look that could convince me to do most anything. If only she'd known it wouldn't take that much convincing. "I'll be late for work." I argued with no real intention or want of winning.

"The Jarl can do without you. I however have need of you." she argued.

I rolled back over and slid under the blankets with her. She curled up next to me, placing her head on my chest as I threw my arms around her waist, our skin pressed together. I traced my hand down her back, feeling her as she let out a peaceful sigh, "I love you"

"I love you too." I closed my eyes as I fell back asleep, knowing I wanted nothing more than to stay here with her.


	7. Nightmare

I grunted as I shifted in the bed. It was the middle of the night. I was tired and groggy, but sleep was my enemy tonight. After waking to what sounded like elk running into a tree, I couldn't fall back asleep. We had moved outside of Falkreath, next to a lake, about a month ago and I was still not use to the outside noise as I slept.

As I lied there, I heard soft footsteps on the wooden floor as someone walked into the room. "Papa", I heard a small voice call out. I rolled over to see Lucia standing near the edge of the bed. Once my eyes had adjusted to the lack of light I noticed she was clutching her doll and her light brown hair was a mess. She must not have been sleeping well either.

"What's wrong?" I asked sitting up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"I had a nightmare" she answered, her voice shaking. She looked up to me with her brown eyes, as if she was about to cry.

Why couldn't Nelcara have stayed home? She was much better at dealing with this kind of thing. But no, she needed to go take care of a war council. She hadn't been too pleased about that, "Yes, let me stop in the middle of trying to deal with Alduin, the world eater, so I can deal with your problem" So, now I was here with our daughter, an 8 year old nord, with no idea what to do.

"The dragons got Mama and then came after everyone." she sniffed, trying not to cry. "She told me to be brave. But I'm scared."

"Only a fool is unafraid of their enemies. The right amount of fear keeps you alert and safe." I reached out brushing the hair out of her face. I don't know how she managed to see past it. "Use your fear to be brave."

"So Mama's gonna be okay?" Now that was a question I asked myself. Nelcara was an extraordinary mage who could definitely hold her own in battle. I had every confidence in her. I'd never doubt her skill or intelligence. But unexpected things can happen, ambushes or betrayals. I knew she'd do everything in her power to get home. But from time to time I did worry.

"She's going to be fine."

She rubbed her eyes with the back of her arm, "C-can I stay with you tonight?" She looked up at me with a pleading look. Had Nelcara taught her that? Or did all females know it?

"Come on" I said. She held on to the side of the bed, trying to climb up it. But the bed was too tall. I picked her up, placing her beside me. "Thanks, Papa", she said leaning over to hug me. She got under the blankets, making herself comfortable, and cuddled up beside me. This left me in a very uncomfortable position. I was still half sitting up, with my back to the bed frame, and near the edge of the bed. Of course, she was sound asleep in five minutes. Despite the annoyance I couldn't help but slightly smile to myself. "Just like your mother."

~

"Move or get burned. I'm putting this in the water." I instructed Lucia, as she preceded to move to my side. She had shown interest in learning how to forge and make weapons not long after she moved in with us. While working for the Jarl in Markarth, I had to take her with me several times. Nelcara wasn't too keen on having her walk around the city, despite my claims that dangerous cities made strong children. I thought Lucia would be thoroughly bored, but she enjoyed watching. So, I offered to teach her. She'd had gotten quite excited. I could remember the face she made, all smiles. "Really Papa?" she said, as if I had been teasing her. She was a good student and quick to learn.

As I dunked the hot blade into the water I heard the yelp of pain. I quickly looked to Lucia, who had moved closer to see. Anger and concern passed through me all at once. I told you to move! Are you okay? My feelings must have surfaced to my face because Lucia dropped her head and lowered her eyes, more upset then hurt. I left the blade and kneeled down to look at her. A small ember and some boiling water had caught her on her right arm. It probably hurt, but wouldn't cause any large damage. Well, at least now she had learned a lesson.

"Are you all right?" I asked as I took a cold cloth to her arm.

She looked up at me with a straight calm face despite the tears that had started forming. "It doesn't hurt."

She was obviously lying. But she was trying to fight it.

And then she got this look, as if she just remembered something. Her eyes got wider and she frowned, "Do..do we have to stop now?"

I laughed to myself. You had to admire her commitment. "No, but let's bandage that burn." I said, pushing her by the shoulder towards the house.

"Okay...I'm sorry Papa...I got excited. I just wanted to see", she explained.

"And now we know to listen and where not to stand" I scolded.

She nodded.

"And most importantly" I said as I placed my thumb under her chin, moving her to look me eye to eye. "We always think before we act. Don't let excitement or anything else overrule your brain"

She nodded timidly, a bit ashamed. And more softly I said, "You're clever. I know you can do that."

She smiled before wrapping me in a hug.


	8. Family Time

Lucia grunted as she swung the dagger at the practice dummy. What was she doing? You don't swing a dagger, you lung and stab. She knew that.

"How old are you?" I barked, my arms folded against my chest.

"10" she answered unwavering as she continued to slash at the dummy.

"Then why are you fighting like your 8?" I demanded to know. I had been training her to fight, mostly in self defense, since she was 8. Skyrim was a harsh land and she needed to know how. For now, we stuck with a dagger, easier to use and quicker to strike. When she was a little older and stronger we would work on a one handed blade.

"I can do better" she shouted lunging towards the dummy. She lost her footing and began falling forwards but caught herself, rolling into the falling and landing on her feet. She popped up and took her stance, feet shoulders width apart and crouched, as she stared intently at the dummy while catching her breath. She lunged again from behind and stabbed it directly through the stomach.

"Ha!" she shouted proudly. She turned around, leaving the dagger in the dummy, and ran up to me. "Papa, did you see?" she asked, as her whole face lit up with excitement and pride.

"Yes. We'll need to work on that timing though. Go take a break." And she skipped off down the hill to the lake.

I had noticed Nelcara during practice. She was by the shore, sitting in the sand with her feet in the water and Karth wrapped in her arms. As I approached her she smiled, "There you are."

As I went to sit beside her I heard Lucia screech. We both turned to find her. She was in the water, kicking and playing. She had only screeched at the cold, thankfully. As I settled beside Nelcara, she turned to me and asked "Don't you think you're too hard on her?"

"No. She needs to know how to defend herself. She's not going to get that if you caudle her through training." I pointed out.

"I guess. She seems to enjoy it regardless." she relented.

Lucia had a warrior's spirit. Always wanting to do something and improve herself. And Gods, was she stubborn. As I looked over at Nelcara, I noticed Karth had dozed off in her arms. He had a touch of that spirit as well. Or at least a fighter's spirit. He had been born early. I thought I was going to lose them both that day. For weeks, every day was a fight for him to stay alive. But he was doing better now. There were still some problems, but nothing like it used to be. He was three months old and small. Were all infants that small? It was surprising that anything that size could live. He looked a lot like his mother with his tan golden skin and green eyes. But unlike her, his black hair was coarse and thick, and the top of his pointed ears were a dark green.

He stirred and started coughing, waking himself up. Nelcara turned him over and gently patted his back. "Poor things lungs still aren't well" she said as she pressed her hand to his back with a healing spell.

"Should he be outside?"

"The fresh air is good. His lungs need to acclimate."

It was about that time Lucia came running up with a mudcrab in her arms. "Mama...Mama!" she called excitingly as she came up to Nelcara. "Look what I found!", she exclaimed as she held the mudcrab out. "Can I keep him?"

Nelcara lifted Karth back up as she stared at the mudcrab for a moment. "If you mean in a cooking pot sure. Other than that no."

Lucia stood horrified as she clutched the mudcrab to her chest. "You can't eat him! He's my friend" she protested.

"Lucia, it's only going to pinch you. Mudcrabs aren't pets." I said trying to reason with her. But she wasn't having it.

"No he won't. Please let him stay" she begged.

Nelcara looked over to me to see what I thought and I just shrugged. "Fine. But do not cry when it hurts you." She'd learn quickly that keeping wild animals wasn't a good idea.

As she ran back off Nelcara said, "If nothing else she'll get bored with it in a few days. But by Talos, if it gets Karth I'm making steamed mudcrab legs."

She moved in closer to me as she sat Karth in her lap. "Alyan came by today while you two were practicing."

Another letter? "Did he deliver anything interesting?" That man was here every other month delivering letters. He's probably earned enough coin by now to retire.

"Just the usual letter from someone wanting me to solve their problem"

"Are you going?" I asked. She hadn't answered a single letter since defeating Alduin, well over a year ago. She'd even handed over her title as arch-mage to someone else, Onmund I think, so she could stay home. She always told Alayn to go back and tell them she was retired. It was a good thing his pay wasn't reliant off her answer.

She looked at me, smile on her face, "I'm staying here. There's nowhere else I'd want to be." She leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.


	9. Stay

I shifted Karth's weight as I carried him. We had a long walk today. Any other time and I would have let him walk and strengthen his legs. He was five and perfectly capable of it, but we had too far to go and I was not going to lose him in the crowd. I kept a hold of Lucia's hand, keeping her close to my side. As we came up over the hill, I began to see the crowds of people. And the closer we got, the more people saw us. As I lead my children through the crowd, people turned and stared. Conversations turned to whispers and already saddened looks turned to pity. People parted, letting us through until we reached the statue. Before us stood Nelcara in stone form, covered in flowers and candles. It was life-sized and carved to her likeness with her arms stretched out as if she were about to cast a spell. An unbidden memory came rushing back to me.

, _It was late, the middle of the night, when I heard the door slam open. I grabbed my blade laying next to the bed and ran downstairs, only to stop halfway to the door. In the doorway stood Nelcara, half slumped over in exhaustion. Her hair was a tangled mess, her robes dirty and half torn, and by the looks of the bags under her eyes, it seemed as though she hadn't slept in a few days._

_I dropped my blade to the floor. I had heard she had defeated Alduin. But no one knew if she was alive. No one had seen her. She'd just vanished. I didn't...I didn't know if I was going to see her again. But here she was, standing in front of me. And then she ran towards me. I caught her, as she almost knocked me over, and wrapped my arms around her, holding her tight. She was home and in my arms. I felt like I could breathe again. I didn't want to ever let her go._

_And then she placed her hands on my face, tears streaming down her face, saying, "I'm not going anywhere without you again." She kissed me, long and hard._

_And that's when we heard Luica come into the room, half asleep. She saw her mother and ran towards her screaming. Nelcara dropped to the floor to hug her, so tightly I thought she may hurt her._

_"Mama! You're home!"_

_"Yes, and I'm not going anywhere." Nelcara answered as she looked over Lucia's shoulder to me._

But she did leave. It took her over six years, but she did. The College had contacted her, asking for some assistance with their students. She had given up her title as arch-mage but still kept up with the college. She was happy to help but had been reluctant to leave. She had promised to only be gone two weeks, three at the most. Everything had gone as planned until the trip back. That's when the storm hit. Nelcara had fought bandits, forsworn, thalmor, and vampires. She had defeated Alduin. And she was taken down by a damn storm. Her carriage got caught in the middle of it. The rain, wind, and lightning all overwhelmed the horse and the driver to lose control. The wagon crashed, causing Nelcara to...fall and slam against a rock, killing her. At least that's what I had been told. Now we were here.

"Papa" Lucia called out, pulling me back to reality. I quickly realized I had been holding onto her too hard. I apologized and let go of her hand, allowing her to walk forward and kneel by the grave.

"Did Mama turn to stone?" Karth asked, looking at the statue with a puzzled stare. When I got the news I had tried to explain it to him as best as possible, but it was difficult.

"Karth...we talked about this. She's not stone. Mama's...dead. Remember?"

He squirmed out of my arms, dropping to the ground, and ran towards the statue. "Mama!" he called out, looking up to its stone face. "Mama" he called repeatedly as he began to hit on its leg. Tears started to form in his eyes, "Why won't she answer?"

"She's dead you idiot. She won't say anything." Lucia spat, her fist clenched to her side.

"Enough" I shouted at the two of them. Nelcara had only been gone a few days and we were already falling apart. I couldn't do this without her. "You know better Lucia" I said giving her a hard look, picking Karth, who was now sobbing, back up. She hung her head, steeling her face from tears. I shouldn't have yelled. They didn't need or deserve that. They were only children.

"I miss her already", she said choking back a sob. I sat down next to her, placing my hand on her shoulder. "Me too"

Damn it. Why couldn't you stay?


	10. Gone

**The next five chapters or so will be out of order oneshots. I will indicate at the beginning of the chapters when they took place.**

If dreary and cold were smells the Windhelm marketplace would reek of it. The clouds hung dark above the city and there was a bite to the air that was unusually cold, even for Windhelm. The shabby and disheveled stalls stood packed together, each with a merchant trying to call out their wares, halfheartedly it seemed. The cold was getting to them as well. The crowd was thinning as the wind blew harder, deciding to take their chances on another day. Which was fine, less people to stare at the halfbreed as I had so kindly been referred to. Most people never see the offspring of an altmer and an orc. So naturally, I got plenty of confused stares and sideways glances. Most people were at least kind enough to act like they weren't looking or didn't care. And rarely did they ever say anything. But not in good ol' Windhelm. These racist bigots were always good for letting you know what they thought. I got several, "What in Oblivion are you?" and "Get out of my city!" I think one woman actually screamed. Granted, I wasn't exactly the most gorgeous thing to walk Skyrim anyway. I was tall, perhaps too tall. I had none of my father's physique. I was thin and lanky with barely any muscle to speak of. My kind of yellow, kind of tan skin, had small random patches of dark green as did the tips of my ears. My hair was short, dark, coarse and a constant tangled mess. But what I think really got people was my face. I got my mother's thin face which did not mix well with my father's protruding and large jaw. And I had the classic orc teeth. Except I had just the one jutting out from my bottom jaw, up over my lip. But damn were my eyes beautiful.

I pulled my coat tighter as I moved in closer to my sister, who was now leaning on the counter of Aval Atheron's stall. Luckily for her, she was not made from the same gene pool as myself. Lucia was a nice looking nord in her 30's, I suppose. I don't really think I could comment on my sister's attractiveness. In all honesty, I hadn't been paying the slightest attention to what they had been saying. But the deceptively innocent grin that was now forming on Lucia's face made me move in closer to hear.

"Do I look like a whore?" She asked completely sincere, as she stared him straight in the face while wearing a smile. That was my sister. Easily deceptive with her sweetness, and quick to use that to bite you. She was definitely my parents' child. More so than me most often.

Obviously taken aback, Aval stumbled over his words as he tried to recompose himself. His eyes had grown wide and his mouth had hung open for several seconds before he realized he should probably shut it. "I-I would never say such a thing. Especially….especially about Moth's own daughter. We've been friends…good friends for years" He yammered as he tried to dig his way out.

"Then why" her grin gone and her eyebrow raised "are you trying to screw me over?"

Aval tried to defend himself, but Lucia cut him off before he even uttered a sound. "Don't deny it. I detest a liar. Here's what we're going to do" she said taking her dagger from her side and twirling it in her hand. "You" she said as she poked him in the chest with it "are going to give me the equipment at the price you and my father agreed on." She then pointed to herself, "I will then give you that coin. No more than that. Understood?" She asked with a glare icier than the wind. Aval quickly nodded and went to retrieve the equipment.

"Did you have to threaten him?"

"Now dear Karth, when did I ever do that?" She asked, sliding the dagger back into place with that grin plastered to her face again.

"He's not a bad guy" I said in his defense. He really wasn't. But times were hard…for everyone. It wasn't unheard of for merchants to suddenly change their prices. Was it right? No, but still…

She sighed, "I know. But better I catch him in a lie and correct him then Papa. That wouldn't bode well."

That was true enough. Pa was not someone to be trifled with. He made his discontent known in an unpleasant way.

"You know you could have stepped in at any time. Seeing as though you have a way with dunmers." She giggled obviously referring to my wife, Demiah.

"Your humor is the envy of us all dear sister."

She pulled her hood down over her head as the wind blew harder. A moment later Aval was back with the box of equipment. Lucia quickly paid him and took the box, leaving him a few extra gold pieces. Softy. As we made our way through Windhelm to get back to our carriage she asked,

"How are you two by the way?"

"You ought to know. You see us every day. We live right next to you."

"Well excuse me for making conversation."

"How are you and Jeelek?" I teased

She gave me a confused look as we reached the carriage. "What?"

"You know. The argonian who keeps visiting the shop. How are you two?"

"We're-we're not a…Why would you ask that?" she stammered as she attempted to get the packages in the back.

"Because nobody needs that many blades, blade repairs, enchanting, or directions. He's trying to see you, because Divines know he isn't there for me." She was avoiding looking at me as she climbed up into the seat and grabbed the reins.

"Just get in" she huffed.

"And you squeal every time he shows up."

"I do not" she huffed again.

"Just be careful. There might be something sharp down there, if you know what I mean." I couldn't resist adding as I joined the bench.

Her face went red as she turned around and slapped me hard in the arm. It stung, but oh was it worth it.

"By the Nine, shut up." She yelled taking the reins back up.

I could tell I had pissed her off now, so sincerely I added, "At least he makes you happy."

She shook her head. "No, Papa always taught us to never let anything interfere with your judgement. I learned my lesson the first time."

She had to be referring to Sykrk. I remember that well. I was around 10 at the time. Me and Pa had never liked him. But she loved him, so we never said anything. She almost married him until she found out about his girlfriend in Windhelm and his other one in Solitude. And well...things didn't end peacefully. She left him and he kept trying to convince her otherwise. I had to give it to Pa though, he never interfered in her business until the final night. Lucia refused to even let Sykrk in the door way, but he somehow made his way in. His mistake, beside the obvious one of cheating, was that he decided to get violent. She cut the biggest scar into his face I had ever seen and physically kicked him out. All without getting a single bruise. However, on top of his already gaping wound, Sykrk had the misfortune of landing right at Pa's feet. I don't know exactly what happened after that but it didn't sound pleasant.

So, needless to say I didn't push my sister any further on the subject.

It was late the next day when we returned home. But Pa was still in his usual spot, by the forge. He didn't stop working as we approached. He didn't even lift his head. But he knew we were there all the same.

"Doesn't take three days to get to Windhelm and back" he grunted.

Now to the untrained person who hadn't live with this man almost all their lives, they would assume that the tall, gray haired 70 something year old orc, was angry or at least irritated. However, knowing him that directly translated into "What happened? I was worried."

"Sorry Papa" Lucia apologized as she walked over to kiss him on the cheek. "There was a snowstorm. So we stopped for a while."

"Smart. Did you get the equipment?"

I handed over the box and watched as he brought out his new tools for the forge. "Was Atheron fair?"

"Of course." My sister chimed in.

Not trusting Lucia to tell the truth, he raised his eyebrow and looked at me. And I wasn't about to rat the poor man out. "Only paid him what you said to."

Pleased with that answer, he put the stuff away and went back to work. Lucia and I both turned to go take care of our own work. I had enchanting to get done and she probably had some requisitions to fill. But Pa started talking again. "Jeelek starts next week."

"Starts what?" Lucia asked confused. Equally confused, I stopped to listen as well.

"Work." One of Pa's famous one word answers.

"He works at the mill." She said.

"It's closing. The owners are retiring."

"But he lives with them. How is that…" But Pa cut her off before she could finish.

"Not anymore. He's staying here." He answered as he continued to work and only looked up when Lucia didn't respond. I would have paid good coin to have seen the dumbstruck look on her face.

"He can't….you can't…but that…" she tripped over her words.

"I would have thought you would have been more excited about your boyfriend-" This time she was the one to cut him off. "He's not my boyfriend!" she protested as she stomped off. Pa snorted, which is what passed as his laughter. While I laughed so hard it hurt to breathe.

The wind started to pick up. It was getting cold here too. Pa's face turned solemn as he began to clean up. " 'Bout time to visit your mother again. She never did like the cold."

~  
Several Years Later

 

The wind blew hard and forceful. But at least it had stopped snowing. Damn stuff was almost to my knees. The sun had gone down several minutes ago and the temperature had already dropped greatly. It even looked like Nelcara's statue was shivering. The kids had started back to the inn but I stayed behind. I waited until I knew they were inside before I sat down. It took me a minute. My joints ached and everything was stiff. This is why orcs didn't die of old age. One of your own would kill you first. I finally managed to make it to the ground and lay my head back against the base of the stone when I heard her voice.

"Taking a nap in the snow?" she teased. Gods I had missed that voice.

I turned to see Nelcara sitting next to me smiling. She reached over and placed one hand on my cheek while running the other through my hair.

"My Moth's gotten all grey and old." She giggled with a sad smile. She was looking at me with those big green eyes. She was just as beautiful as the day she left.

"What are you still doing here?" I asked, pulling the coat tighter to block off the cold.

"I told you, I wasn't going anywhere without you again." Her eyes dropped and her smile faded, "Never again."

I pulled her towards me and wrapped her in my arms. Never taking my eyes off her. She felt warm, and soon I could no longer feel the cold. After a few moments she pulled back to a sitting position. It was then she noticed the noise coming from the inn. At this distance it was muffled, but you could still hear the music and comradery. It made her smile again as she turned back to me.

"Lucia and Karth have grown so much. They used to be such tiny things. Karth and Demiah's baby was so precious jumping around in the snow. It was almost over her head." She laughed. "And I'm glad Lucia married Jeelek. He makes her happy."

"They're good people. You did a good job." She said as if she hadn't been there for eight years of their lives. As if she had never raised them or cared for them, when in reality she could have done much better than me.

"We" I corrected. And she smiled again. Gods, there wasn't anything I wouldn't do for that smile.

"We" she agreed. "I'm still proud of you though." She leaned in and kissed the top of my head before standing up. She never shivered or seemed bothered by the snow. In fact, it didn't even seem to touch her. She held her hand out to me and I quickly took it. Getting up was much easier than sitting had been.

"Any regrets?" She asked as we stood beside each other. For a moment I thought about that. Did I? I had spent my first 18 years in the stronghold, trained in forging and fighting. The next 20, were given to the Legion, which led me to Markarth to become the Jarl's blacksmith. And it was working late there that got me Nelcara. She came in lost and looking for directions. At first I saw her as nothing but a nuisance and then just a humorous distraction from work. But soon she had taken 9 years of my life. Well, not taken. They were gladly given. The best years of my life. It was because of her I had family. Because of her I had two children. Because of her I now had grandchildren. Things and a life I had never knew I wanted. It was because of her I knew what love was. And everything before her had simply lead me to her.

"Not a damn one." I smiled, grabbing her hand tightly.

"And neither do I. Especially that time we…" And she trailed off, her wicked grin forming on her face as she gave me that look. "Ah, but some memories best left unsaid."

I pulled her close and pressed my lips to hers. She quickly returned the favor. It was so nice to have her back again.

"I missed you." I said in a voice so small, I didn't even recognize it as my own.

She gave me that smile one more time while caressing my cheek, "I missed you too"

And they were gone.


	11. Extra Chapter: Comfort

**Takes place several months after Drinks and Stairs**

I was walking through Markarth and down one of the staircases to visit my sister when something caught me off guard. Someone was curled up outside of the abandoned house past the inn. And I could have sworn it was Nelcara. I stopped suddenly, causing someone to run into me and yell a line of curses. After the second look I realized it was Nelcara. What was she doing? Was she hurt? I turned to go to her and ran. As I approached her I began to hear the sobs. But I didn't see any injuries. She had her hands over her face, rocking back and forth in front of the door, crying.

"Nelcara!" I yelled to get her attention. But she either didn't hear me or ignored me. As soon as I reached her, I knelt down and reached for her hands. "Nelcara" I called again, worried. There weren't any scars or obvious bruises on her face. Had someone hurt her? The tears continued to fall as she sobbed so hard it seemed as though she wasn't breathing. Her hair was hanging in her face, sticking to the tears. I brushed it away as I leaned in closer and softly called her name again. This time she looked up. The look on her face broke me and enraged me all at the same time. I wanted nothing more than to simultaneously wrap her in my arms and destroy whatever did this.

"What happened?" I asked in the same soft tone.

"I-i-it-I" she shook as she tried to get the words out. I put my hands on her arms to help still her. This was not the place to discuss this. I wrapped one arm under her arm and the other under her legs, picking her up. As I carried her home, she buried her head into my chest screaming I hate this city. I placed her on the bed and gave her a few minutes to calm down before I asked her anymore questions. At first I just stood in front of her, but she just shook and sobbed so violently. I ended up sitting next to her, wrapping my arms around her and stroking her hair. I didn't know what to do or if I was even helping. After a few more minutes, she began to pause for longer breathes and shake a little less.

"What happened?" I asked again.

"A vig-vigilant of stendar asked me for help. H-he said, he had reason to believe that the aband-abandoned house had been used for daedra worship."

I knew Nelcara didn't like dealing with daedra. Who really did besides the fools who worshipped them? But she had never reacted like this before. She was strong and fierce and took care of any she came across. Something terrible had obviously happened to get her this shaken up.

"I went inside with him. When we got to the basement, he realized something was t-terribly wrong. We ran for the door but it was locked." Her speech was slow, but at least it had become steadier. "A-nd Molag-Bol started talking. He wanted me to kill the Vigilant. I-I could feel him trying to influence my mind, b-but I refused. Then the room grew dark and-and furniture start to float. Molag-Bol convinced the Vigilant to attack me." She took a long pause after that, trying to breathe.

"I was forced to kill him" she said almost tearfully. "He then told me to go to the basement for my reward." She spat. "I-I didn't want to. But-but I couldn't get out." A slow stream of tears started down her face again.

"I went down and grabbed the mace but he trapped me in this…. S-spiked cage. He demanded I k-kill his rival. I told him no. I told him no over and over." She looked me in the face "I did" she said as if trying to convince me. "But h-he, got into my head." She lowered her head and covered her face with her hands, ashamed. "I lead the priest of Boethiah he wanted to the alter. And I…I…" she began sobbing again. The next part came out slow and broken as she tried to fight through the tears. "I beat him. He made me beat him and kill him."

I waited patiently for her to say more, but when I didn't say anything she turned to me. "You don't understand. I beat him!" she yelled. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy and the tears wouldn't stop. "Repeatedly. He was bound…couldn't fight back. I beat him bloody..into submission. And then…Molag Bol made me kill him." She screamed. And then whimpered, "I tried..i tried so hard to fight…I tried…"

I pulled her against me as she began to shake again. What could I do? "It's not your-" I tried to comfort her. But she wouldn't listen. "It was. I did it." She whimpered. "couldn't fight…I was weak."

She looked at me with the most pitiful expression. In a weak voice she asked, "Why aren't you mad?"  
But I was. I was furious and angry. I had never been this enraged in my life. I wanted nothing more than to rip that building down, stone by stone, with my bare hands.

"Nelcara" I started. But she turned away, burying her head in my chest, not wanting to look at me. As gently as I could manage it, I pulled her back up to look me in the eyes. Wiping the tears away again I said, "You are a good, strong woman. This was not your fault. He's the Lord of Domination for a reason. You were only trying to help. You were doing what was right."

She sniffed as she tried to stop herself from crying. "And I am proud of you." I said. A look of confusion passed her face for a moment before she finally let out a slight smile. "I love you."

She had managed to calm down as the day went on. She was still shaken, but better. That night however, was horrible.

It had only been an hour or two when I woke up. I could feel the bed moving. As I turned around, I realized it was Nelcara thrashing. I had to shake her to wake her up. She gasped and jerked back, her eyes full of terror before she realized what was going on.

"You okay?" I asked. She was covered in sweat and breathing heavy.

"Yeah….yeah…bad dream." She said shaking as she rubbed her eyes. "Go back to sleep." She kicked the blanket off of herself and rolled over.

"Nelcara" I reached over to her but she shrugged me off.

"It's fine. Go to sleep." So I tried to, but it wasn't long before I was woken up again. This time she was whimpering. I called her name as I placed my hand on her arm. No answer. I shook her. No answer. She was shaking again. Not knowing what to do, I just pulled her towards me. I held her against me, rubbing her back, smoothing her hair, anything I thought might help. After a while she woke up briefly. She didn't say anything, just simply buried her face in my chest as she moved in closer. I stayed up, watching her and holding her. It seemed to help. She shook less.

She woke up again and for a few moments she didn't say anything, she didn't even move. But then she whispered, "He begged me to stop." I shushed her and stroked her hair to get her to sleep. "I'm sorry" whether she was apologizing for the nightmares or what had happened, I don't know. But I just shushed her again as I kissed the top of her head.

"Thank you" she whispered, before falling back to sleep. I kept an eye on her the rest of the night, never letting go. But she slept more peacefully after that.


	12. EC: Age

**Takes place before An Awkward Dinner**

The smell of burning grass filled my nose as the smoke cleared. I could now completely see the bandits' campsite once again. There had been fifteen of them when we started. But from where I was standing I could only count twelve. As I turned to look for Vorstag, the stench of burning bodies hit me. I was wondering when I was going to start smelling them. It wasn't pleasant, but when your main and favorite defense against creeps was fire, you had to get use to the smell at some point.

"How 'bout next time ya don't throw fireballs five feet away from me" Vorstag said, coughing, as he came from behind a bolder. Drama queen, it was at least 10 feet. He waved the smoke from his face as he met me in the middle of the field.

"I'll think about it" I smirked.

"I'd appreciate it. Who were we fighting these people for anyway?"

"You know, I don't actually remember." I laughed. I had been sent to clear out so many different bandits that the orders had all started to blur together. Eh, I'd figure it out eventually.

"So, you want to go get something to eat or rummage something off these unlucky sods?" Vorstag asked, a smug grin on his face.

Returning that grin I said, "Any reason we can't do both?"

He raised his hands defensively and laughed "Hey, you're the boss!"

As we pilfered through the bodies I managed to make my way to the base of a tree. Looking up, I found where the other three bodies had managed to go. So, that's what that shout did. As I looked at one of the bodies hanging over a branch, I laughed.

Noticing my laughter, Vorstag asked, "What's so funny?"

I pointed to the tree. "It made me think of this story Moth told me about when he was in the Legion and they…"

"Ah, Moth" he chuckled to himself. "Doesn't seem like the story telling sort."

"He is when you get him in the right mood."

"And what mood would that be?" He grinned, raising his eyebrow suggestively.

Vorstag knew that I….had feelings for Moth. There had really been no way to hide it from him. He seemed to be able to read my mind. Lying to him had proven to only make things worse. So, I no longer bothered. Although, Vorstag swore everyone in Markarth knew, except Moth who was apparently clueless.

"Not whatever mood you're trying to make with that ugly expression on your face." I joked, while he mocked offense.

"You completely messed up my theories about women."

"Something tells me those weren't too solid to begin with" I said, wondering what he was going on about.

"I always assumed women liked young, attractive men. I've never seen anyone have affections for an orc almost twice their age."

What in Oblivion was that suppose to mean? Moth was very attractive, at least I thought so. He was very solemn looking until you got to know him. But when he smiled, that was something else. It's wasn't a full on smile. I had never seen one of those. But he would do this half grin, where one edge of his lips would turn up. It would give me this knot feeling in my stomach, but also this warm feeling in my chest, especially when that smile was directed at me. Then there were the muscles of his arm. It just wanted to….but those were thoughts for another time.

"He is not twice my age." I stared down at him, placing my hand on my hip.

"What, how old are you? 25?" I could see him doing the math in his head already.

"27" I sighed.

"And he's at least 40. So, he's got 13 years on you. Close enough."

"That's a long way from twice my age" I protested. I hadn't realize he was that old. That didn't bother me. But would it bother him?

~

I had stopped working for a moment. The back of my neck and shoulders ached and popped as I stretched them. As I sat, rubbing the back of my neck, Nelcara walked in. She wasn't dressed in the mage robes I had been expecting. Instead, she wore a deep green dress with a belt cinched around her waist. It looked nice on her.

"Still here?"

She let out an exhausted sigh as she took the seat in front of me. "Yep. You know, I had a delightful conversation with your sister the other day."

The word delightful and my sister were put together in the same sentence about as many times as my name and delightful were. "You met her?"

"I picked up a book for her. She's so hard on that poor assistant of hers."

Ah, I knew who she was talking about. Ghorza said he was useless.

"She is actually quite funny when you get to talking to her though."

After a few minutes, I got back to work. Nelcara sat, half leaning on the table watching me. She looked exhausted.

"Is it bad that I just want to stay home? That's selfish is in it?" She let out another sigh as she laid her head in her hands. "I'm too old for this crap."

Apparently I wasn't the only one who was tired. But too old?

"You're 27." And as soon as I said it, it finally occurred to me. She was only 27. It was so easy to forget her age with everything that depended on her. That was remarkably young for the weight of the world to be on your shoulders. I don't think I could have done it.

"Ugh….are you sure? I feel about as old as you." A small smile playing on her lips.

"Truly? That explains why you apparently keep seeking my company."

She laughed. "The old like the old then? Makes sense to me."

"Well, I suppose I need to prepare to leave tomorrow. The world isn't going to save itself." She began to stand to leave but I stopped her.

"Stay another day. Rest would do you good."

She raised an eyebrow, skeptical.

"Fighting tired, just gets you dead. I don't…we don't need you dead."

"Well, isn't that sweet." She smiled. "Nice to know." And she sat back down.


	13. EC: Yours (Wedding Night)

Unsure of what to do, I sat on the edge of the bed. It felt strange being in Nelcara's house alone...well, our house. That was going to take some getting used to. We had gotten married a few hours ago. The whole situation just felt awkward and unknown. Not that I didn't want to be married to her. I did. But I didn't know what to do. Or if I'd even be a good husband. This type of thing in the stronghold didn't happen. I turned the ring around my finger, looking at it. I wasn't used to something being there. The way it brushed against my fingers felt strange. Not uncomfortable. Just strange.

"Regretting it already?"

Startled, I looked up to see Nelcara closing the door behind her. I didn't even hear her open it. She was still in her dress, long and white with a gold belt around her waist. The cape she had pinned to the back of it flowed over her arms, matching and blending in with the long sleeves. She pushed back a strand of hair that had dared to fall from the pin, as she looked at me. Words could not describe how beautiful she looked. My heart started racing. What was wrong with me?

Mistaking my startled expression for one of offense she added "I'm kidding Moth." She continued to talk as she kicked off her shoes. "Did you know Cosnach and Vorstag were running a bet on how long it would take us to get married?"

That honestly didn't surprise me, knowing those two. I watched her as she walked over to the dresser, running my hands through my hair to steady what I supposed were nerves. Why was I nervous? She stood there, grasping and fumbling at the clasp of her necklace, trying to get it off.

"Why did your sister keep looking at me like some kind of, I don't know? I can't even describe her look of discontent."

I hadn't expected Ghorza to be happy about the whole thing. She had tried to convince me several times to change my mind, reminding me with what would happen. A few looks of discontent were the best I could have hoped for.

I got up to help Nelcara with her increasing struggle against the necklace. As I approached her I saw the cause, her hands were trembling.

"The only orcs allowed to marry are the chiefs. Because I broke that custom I will be banished and my tribe name removed, once they find out." I explained, unhooking the chain. She caught it and placed it on the dresser before she turned around to look at me.

"Moth, I'm sorry. Had I known I would have never…" her voice trailing off. She felt sorry for me, but did I? I hadn't put a lot of thought in it. I hadn't seen the stronghold in years. I just never felt the need to go. Now that I was shamed, was there really any difference? I knew the answer was yes. I would never be recognized as one of their brothers again, rejected by my own family. But with Nelcara standing in front of me, none of that seemed to matter.

"Don't apologize. I was theirs for the last 40 years of my life. They claimed my works and my talents and called me family. But I made my decision. I no longer belong to them." I caressed her cheek, sliding my thumb down her jaw line to her lips. "I am yours."

She gave me this smile that seemed to light up her whole face. Her eyes grew bigger and brighter. It was a smile full of hope and happiness. One that made my chest ache in a way that I wished it would never stop.

"And I am yours"

As she tried to walk forward, her foot caught the hem of her dress. I caught her as she fell into me, her face turning red with embarrassment. She looked down as she laughed, "I'm just more surprised I didn't do that while walking down the aisle."

She looked back up at me with those big green eyes. For a moment, all I could do was stare. She placed her hand on my chest, her fingers playing with the strings of my shirt, before she ran her hand along the back of my neck. There was a nervous yet eager expression in her eyes as she stared back at me. Without thinking, I took my thumb and pulled her chin up, placing my lips on hers and closing my eyes in the process. She kissed me back softly, taking her hands behind my head and pulling it closer.

I slid my hand back to run it through her hair only to realize it was still pinned up. Without opening my eyes, I couldn't find the pin to undo it. Somehow sensing my problem, Nelcara reached back and pulled it out, letting her hair fall down around my hand. I was finally able to run my hand through, while placing the other on her waist. She felt so small and fragile beneath them. I didn't want to hurt her.

After a few more moments, she pulled away. Had I offended her? Noticing my expression, she said "I just want to get this off.", as she reached behind her to unclip the cape, letting it fall to the floor.

"I guess…I should probably get the rest of this off too." She clenched her hands nervously before reaching behind.

"Can I?" I asked cautiously, afraid to over step some boundary. She gave me a small smile, blushing, as she turned around. I reached around her, unhooking the belt, before slowly undoing the laces of her dress. As the back of the dress opened, the top began to sag. I brushed my hands against her bare shoulders and lowered my mouth to kiss them as I pushed the sleeves away, causing Nelcara to tremble. Her dress fell into a pool around her feet, revealing the white underwear and corset underneath.

Knowing she was just going to trip, I placed one arm around her waist and the other just behind her knees, and scooped her up. She gasped in surprise. I turned to set her down away from the mess and noticed I inadvertently put us next to the bed. She didn't seem to care. She reached forward and pushed on my shoulder, causing me to fall/sit on the edge of the bed. She pulled at the bottom of my shirt and yanked it over my head.

"Now we're even" she laughed. She traced the old scars on my chest with her fingers. Her trembling hands seemed to gain confidence as she continued. My breath caught as she touched me. She ran her hand up and down my chest, through my chest hair, lightly caressing me. I let out a deep sigh as I looked back up at her. The corset fit every curve on her just right and in just a way that made me want to see her without it.

She walked forward, and sat herself in my lap. Essentially, straddling me with her legs to either side. "Hi" she laughed again, the tension of nervousness slowly fading. Before I could respond, she had leaned forward and kissed me with a force that I had not expected. I didn't even have time to close my eyes. I had to throw my hands out to catch myself from falling over. Not that I minded. The passion was unexpected, but not unwanted. I grabbed her hips where I could feel Nelcara's hands and arms moving as she worked at the laces on her corset. Nelcara's tongue broke through my lips and met my own. I moved my hands behind her head for better leverage. As her tongue left my mouth, I bit down on her lower lip. I still wasn't sure what was okay. So, I pulled her lip gently with my teeth and was surprised when I heard her make a low moan. I couldn't help but smirk.

I felt her corset fall across my knees and onto the floor. Her breast brushed across my chest as we kissed. Damn did that feel good. We pulled away from each other, the both of us breathing heavily. And that's when I caught sight of her body. I realized that up until tonight, I had never even seen her bare arms….much less what was in front of me now. I had started to grow stiff earlier, but now I was just hard. My chest pounded as I looked her over. She had these little white scars all over her body; her arms, her stomach…but not her breast. I wanted to reach out and touch her, grab her, roll her over and….but I didn't want to push her. I didn't want to scare or hurt her.

"Moth" she called out sweetly, bringing me back from my thoughts as she combed my beard with her fingers. "You can touch me. I won't break" she grinned.

I looked down at my hands and noticed the calluses from years of work. Her skin looked so soft. She wouldn't like the feeling.

"They're rough" I said, feeling like a fool.

She smiled at me reassuringly as she took my hands in her. She lifted one up to her mouth and began to kiss the fingers. "I like them" she said in between kisses. When she was finished she took my hands and laid them on her waist. "You're not going to hurt me."

So, I grabbed her. Gently at first, as I stroked her thighs and kissed the base of her neck. With each touch and kiss she let out a whimper or shivered. She wrapped her arms around me and ran one hand through my hair as the other rubbed my back. Seemingly content with that, I moved my hands up her body, tracing my way to her breast before I grabbed one firmly. She let out a small gasp that quickly turned into a moan as I continued. I traced her collar bone with my tongue, stopping to suck her neck every so often.

I continued on this way for a while, finding spots to kiss, suck, grab or stroke. Each time I found a new place, she moaned louder. At one point her moan caught in her throat, turning into a scream as her nails dug into my back. Afraid I had hurt her, I stopped and pulled away. But she instantly pulled me back.

"Do I need to stop?" I asked anyway.

"No." she whispered in my ear. "Take me. I'm yours."

And with that she had incited something in me. I could feel the wicked grin forming on my face as I grabbed her by the waist and turned her over. I laid her on her back and hoisted myself over her, leaning on my elbows. A surprised but more than happy face stared back at me. "And I am yours" I said.


	14. No Time

_I was sitting in a chair in the corner of the bedroom, tugging my boots off when she walked in._

" _Karth did not want to go to sleep" she said as she rummaged through the wardrobe looking for her night dress. "I don't know where he gets all that energy from." She continued._

" _He's stubborn. Like his mother." I said, pulling my shirt over my head._

_She laughed, "I'm stubborn? More like his father. At least Lucia just takes her mudcrab and curls up. What's the lifespan of those things anyway?"_

_I just shrugged as I made my way to the bed. Nelcara let her dress fall to the floor as she found her night dress. I got behind her, sliding my hands onto her waist before she had the chance to put it on._

" _Moth…" she gasped. "I just got him to sleep" she said with obviously fake annoyance._

" _Then you'll just have to be quite." I said burying my face in her neck to kiss it._

_She pushed me back and turned around to face me with a wicked smirk. "Oh, you know it's not me you have to worry about" she whispered. We feel into the bed intertwined._

I rolled over, my head hurting and neck stiff from a bad night's sleep. I threw my arm over, reaching for Nelcara. When all it hit was air and then bed, my heart started racing. I opened my eyes, to see the empty side of the bed. For about five seconds, I started to worry. But then reality came crashing down on me. She wasn't here. I let out an exhausted sigh as I rubbed the bridge of my nose. I didn't have time to think about this now. I needed to get up and light a fire so I could start breakfast, get the kids up, and start work. As I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, I felt the wetness of tears. I definitely didn't have time for that. There were two kids who needed to be taken care of. No time for mourning.

I forced myself out of bed and down the stairs, my movements slow and stiff. It took several tries with the match before the fire finally started. It was going to be a long day. I filled a kettle with water and placed it over the fire before walking back upstairs.

Karth was still sound asleep as I passed his room and so was Lucia. Pincer was at the end of her bed. How long did a mudcrab live? This one had gotten big enough for Karth to ride, which he had done on several occasions.

"Lucia" I called as I walked into her room. I heard a grunt as she rolled over in the bed, followed by the scuttling sounds of Pincer's legs. "Time to get up." That was followed by a groan. I left her to get ready as I went to Karth's room.

I nudged his arm "Karth, come on. Get up." He opened his sleepy eyes and blinked a couple of times before he rolled away from me. "No, up" I said rolling him back over. "Noooo" he whined. "Yes". I picked him up and stood him on the floor.

"Time to get dressed." I turned to get him some clothes out and by the time I had turned back around he was asleep on the floor.

"Karth" I called, waking him up. He looked around confused for a few seconds on how he got there. "Let's put your clothes on."

After helping him with his clothes, I handed him his hair brush and went to check on Lucia. I went to knock on her door but it was open. She was dressed and sitting in the middle of her bed, her hair a mess. It had been like this for two weeks, since Nelcara died. She refused to brush her hair. She was fifteen and more than capable of doing it. But Nelcara had liked to do it. As I thought about it, I could see them. Nelcara would be sitting on the bed behind her brushing, the two of them smiling and laughing. But I shook the thought away. No time for that.

I walked in and picked the brush off of the dresser. Before I said anything she started to argue. "I'm not brushing my hair. I won't" She folded her arms across her chest. As I made my way to the bed, Pincer scuttled pass me into the hallway.

"I'm not asking" I said taking a seat on the bed. "Now turn around." She looked at me confused and didn't move. "Turn" I repeated, pointing the other way. She obeyed, and cautiously turned around. I took the brush and ran it through her hair. Or tried to. It was so knotted up it kept getting stuck.

"Ow, Papa" she lurched forward.

"Well, if you had brushed it we wouldn't have this problem. Keep still." I went back to brushing and slowly the knots started to work out.

I heard her say "It never hurt when Mama did it"

I had a feeling I was going to get a lot of 'that's not how or when Mama did it'. "I'm not Mama. But I'm trying Lucia."

In a small whisper, almost a sniffle, I heard her say "I know."

It was then that Karth came running into the room, brush in hand. He stood there a second and looked at us before saying "Hey! I wanna brush Papa's hair." Before I could say anything he had made it across the room and was climbing over the side of the bed. That's when I looked over and saw the smile forming on Lucia's face. Karth made it up, bouncing on the bed, shouting "Come on Papa." It was the first time I had seen the two of them happy in a while.

I guess there was time for that.


End file.
